Warriors notes: Dubs shift into regular-season mode for preseason finale

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STANFORD -- The next time the Warriors practice, it will be at the team facility in Oakland in preparation for the season opener.

They went through a light practice Thursday at Maples Pavilion and will stay overnight in San Jose before facing the Los Angeles Lakers in the preseason finale Friday night at SAP Center.

“We’ll probably ramp up the minutes a little bit for our main guys who play those kinds of minutes,” coach Steve Kerr said. “I want to get them one game where they get up maybe to 30 minutes or so.”

Draymond Green is expected back in the lineup for the first time since Sept. 29. He was sidelined the past 12 days with soreness in his left knee.

Goals in closing out the preseason

Coaches and players have raved about training camp, insisting it has been the best and most efficient under head coach Steve Kerr. There also is a new energy, as half the camp roster is 25 years old or younger.

With camp now largely behind them, it’s time to shift into regular-season mode before opening night next Tuesday.

“We want to play well and get a win,” Stephen Curry said of Friday's preseason finale. “You’ve got to develop that winning mentality, doing the little things, the little details to get that edge. It’ll be a good test for us to give an all-out effort and prepare ourselves for Tuesday and beyond.”

The Warriors have been mostly solid on offense, with Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, and Curry all shooting particularly well. If there is an issue, it’s turnovers.

Defensively, however, the Warriors have looked out of sorts. That’s partly the result of new faces getting more minutes -- and also the absence of Green.

“Our defensive effort the last two games have been poor,” Kerr said. “And we’ve got to limit our fouls; we’ve been fouling too much. Those are the two things I’m really looking for.”

Deyonta Davis, possible two-way candidate

After waiving guard Will Cherry, the McClymonds High (Oakland) product who has spent the past few years shuttling between NBA teams and playing overseas, the Warriors signed 6-foot-9 forward/center Deyonta Davis.

Davis was originally chosen by the Celtics in the second round (31st overall) of the 2016 draft but was traded the Grizzlies hours later. He played in 98 games over the past two seasons with Memphis.

If all goes well, Davis will spend time with G-League Santa Cruz under coach Aaron Miles and general manager Kent Lacob. If all goes really well, the Michigan State product may have a chance to play is way into a two-way contract.

“I haven’t seen him play much,” Kerr said. “But I talked to Kent and Aaron about him, and they’re excited. It’s hard to get a good big guy in the G-League, and he’s a guy who was recently drafted.

“We’re trying to help as many players as we can and hope that some of them can come up and help us win games,” Kerr said. “Like Quinn Cook did last year.”

The Shoe Game

Curry has a new teammate: 76ers center Joel Embiid.

Embiid is not coming to the Warriors anytime soon, and Curry definitely isn’t going to Philadelphia. Both, however, are teammates with Under Armour, the apparel company Curry made famous.

Embiid recently signed a five-year contact with the company. He previously was with Adidas, which could have matched the Under Armour offer but decided not to.

New Balance and Puma, which signed DeMarcus Cousins, also made attempts to sign Embiid, whose new deal reportedly makes him the highest-paid center in the NBA.

“It’s amazing for the brand,” Curry said. “It’s amazing for what we’re trying to build. He is obviously a guy on the rise that has a lot of potential. He’s shown what he’s capable of. The perspective he brings to the shoe game in terms of giving back and taking care of the community, with this opportunity that’s something he’s really set a foundation for.”

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